2024 Season

[scarynikki12]

To discuss the 2024 season of the show.

[marina to]

Since the previous thread was closed and the one person who responded repeated what I already knew, I'll ask again. When the show came back after the writers strike, did Dulce every get to finish out her week that was cut short by the strike? I hope that short time gets taken into account here and they make sure her and the other correspondents who didn't get their week get more time.

[Sarah 103]

2 hours ago, marina to said:

Since the previous thread was closed and the one person who responded repeated what I already knew, I'll ask again. When the show came back after the writers strike, did Dulce every get to finish out her week that was cut short by the strike? I hope that short time gets taken into account here and they make sure her and the other correspondents who didn't get their week get more time.

No. Dulce did not get to host for a full week; she did not get to do three more episodes after her first episode hosting. 

[angora]

Since the show came back after the strike, Dulce has only gotten one more full night to host, during the "news team takeover" week.

[possibilities]

As far as I know, they haven't made any announcements about how the "correspondents hosting Tues through Thurs" will be handled, so I think we're all just speculating.

But I imagine that the network was not in a hurry to reward anyone for striking, which might be why Dulse was not given a full week immediately on return.

It remains to be seen now Jon decides to run the show, and whether we now see Dulse get her time.

[marina to]

Thanks for answering my question about Dulce. I hope she gets her time.

[Lantern7]

With Jon's return comes overpacked episodes that run past 35 minutes. If you're using DVR, you might want to record past the limit by at least fifteen minutes. I'm not sure if that will be the case for every episode, or just the ones that Jon hosts.

Great to see Jon back, but I am not looking forward to the bleakness of the presidential race. I fear for Jon's life. Look at John Oliver and how much he aged over ten years hosting his show once per week. I don't know if Jon will be ready for a grind that's gotten a lot tough since he left the show.

[TheGreenKnight]

So happy to have Jon Stewart back on TV regularly. I hope it'll be for longer than just this year. As for the rest of the week, I still personally hope they might hire Minhaj even if they wait until 2025 to do it. He was the closest to Stewart for me. If not though, I guess Leslie Jones was my second favorite of the try-outs.

[Bastet]

I prefer Jordan in the field to behind the desk; it's a terrible way to make a living, talking to all these lunatics, but it's his niche.  But if he's going to be behind the desk, he needs to do a proper headlines segment; it was weird on his first episode to cut almost immediately to a field piece.

I'm not normally one for monolingual Americans afraid of unfamiliar languages humor, but calling the entirety of Russian "a really strong password" gave me a chuckle.

As did saying Rand Paul's rant about the foreign aid bill was "drunk ex toasting at the wedding" energy.

I liked the list of what the Republican base is afraid of: cities, books, vaccines, high school musical theatre, Black Little Mermaid, the first 300 years of American history, rainbows, drag everything, Beyoncé singing country, CRT, PBS, NPR, anything with letters, and, of course, Taylor Swift.

I'm not familiar with Killer Mike, so just on the surface I think Jordan did a decent job interviewing him; he asked questions and didn't step over the answers.

I miss Roy Wood Jr. as a correspondent something fierce, and that they didn't wind up hiring a new host, just bringing Jon Stewart back once a week and using correspondents for the rest, makes me angry they didn't give him the gig since he knocked his guest host week out of the park in general and especially among the correspondents (at least those who got to do a full week, unlike Dulcé), but I'm trying to let it go and get back to my semi-regular viewing groove.

[possibilities]

I liked Jordan's hosting last night, and I appreciated that he kept his own voice and didn't just adopt Jon's style. I found Jon's style on Monday compelling but his message didn't work for me and I wish, based on that, that he had not returned.

I do think they need to refresh the show and bring in some new perspectives. I didn't realize how much I appreciated Trevor's point of view (more international, less obsessed with only one person, etc) and I really think the show needs something else compelling ins tead of just doing the same schtick it's been doing for ages now.

[DoctorAtomic]

19 hours ago, Bastet said:

I prefer Jordan in the field to behind the desk; it's a terrible way to make a living, talking to all these lunatics, but it's his niche.

I don't know how he hasn't had a stroke. At first I was excited because the Haley supporters were kind of genuinely funny, and I wasn't terrified. That ended quickly.

I have to wonder what Jordan thinks about the bits now. There's not really anything new at this point. It must take an enormous time to produce. I don't know if it's worth it to find the 5 sane people. 

Edited February 15 by DoctorAtomic

[DoctorAtomic]

The bit ripping on Long Island killed me. 

[Lantern7]

I didn’t think Jon’s rant from last week warranted such criticism. As for ol’ Tucker Carlson . . . he’s never been to a supermarket where you put in a coin to get a cart? Awesome takedown by Jon of Tucker being submissive with Putin.

About the guests . . . I’m tickled Jon led off with Jon Oliver’s million-dollar offer to Clarance Thomas to leave the Supreme Court. That was an actual thing that happened on Last Week Tonight.

[possibilities]

I love the Strict Scrutiny podcast, so I was glad to see who the guests were. But I didin't think he really let them say much of anything. Trevor was a much better interviewer. He actually showcased his guest and didn't just use them to do his own schtick.

He also seemed to not understand the criticism from people who didn't like his show last week. I don't think anyone was saying we can't criticize "our side" or that we should rotely obey and not use our senses to notice things. But the the way he presented his observations minimized the differences between the candidates and acted like he really didn't understand the situation. He's either lazy, stupid, or too privileged to understand that the world is not a playground where the only thing that matters is if you're funny.

I think he's high on his own supply at this point and doesn't think he has anything to learn, or that he has to pay attention and actually understand context in order to make meaningful comments.

 

[baldryanr]

5 hours ago, Lantern7 said:

As for ol’ Tucker Carlson . . . he’s never been to a supermarket where you put in a coin to get a cart?

The man has never been to an Aldi (or a grocery store at all, if buying fresh bread is such a revelation).  This is why you never see their carts in homeless encampments.  That was a really nice subway station, though.

[mmecorday]

Those clips of Tucker Carlson's starry-eyed interview with Putin really tested by gag reflex. Carlson looks more and more like Marcia Brady's drawing of George Washington/Mrs. Denton every day. 

[Sarah 103]

19 hours ago, Lantern7 said:

As for ol’ Tucker Carlson . . . he’s never been to a supermarket where you put in a coin to get a cart?

Maybe it's a regional thing. I've lived in different places along the East Coast and I've never seen a supermarket where you put a coin in to get the cart. 

[DoctorAtomic]

On 2/19/2024 at 11:00 PM, possibilities said:

But I didin't think he really let them say much of anything.

He did interrupt a lot. Was this a cut of a longer interview? Last week the show was 40 minutes, but last night it was only 24. 

I haven't seen the coin in the cart either, but I don't think I'd be flabbergasted. 

The Safeway I lived near had electronic locks where if you left the parking lot the cart locked up. That was in CA.

[GHScorpiosRule]

16 hours ago, Sarah 103 said:

Maybe it's a regional thing. I've lived in different places along the East Coast and I've never seen a supermarket where you put a coin in to get the cart. 

I've only seen this with Aldi's. And I've lived on the East coast all my life. Sometimes, though, if I'm entering and someone's leaving, they'll let me use their cart. Yeah, yeah, it's only .25.

7 minutes ago, DoctorAtomic said:

The Safeway I lived near had electronic locks where if you left the parking lot the cart locked up. That was in CA.

Same here. If you try to push your cart two feet past the exit doors, the cart will lock. I have had to ask someone to unlock it so I can push to my car if I had to park further away and I had more than two bags.

[possibilities]

"That's just an appetizer at a very avant-garde restaurant in Brooklyn" LOL

 

[Lantern7]

With Jon talking about the Middle East, I knew it would be a tough episode . . . and then he told us about his three-legged Pitbull that passed away yesterday. Aside from the post-9/11 episodes, have we seen Jon break down like that? Brutal.

In other news, I'm guessing the time frame for how long Jon's episodes are is basically "whenever we feel like ending." He probably would have been done around 11:35 if he didn't talk to us about Dipper. He sounded like a sweet dog. I loved the footage for the Moment of Zen, where it looked like having one front leg wasn't a problem for him.

Edited February 27 by Lantern7

[Not4Me]

My heart broke for Jon during that revelation especially since it just happened, but it was a very sweet memorial to a dog who defied the odds and thrived for as long as he could.

[iMonrey]

Ouch, my heart was breaking for Jon in that segment about his dog. I think it was probably meant to be more of a message about rescuing animals but I don't think he expected to get as emotional as he did. That was hard to watch.

[Sarah 103]

As soon as he mentioned how many years ago they brought the dog/puppy home, I kind of knew where it was going, and it was still heartbreaking. I think the only times I have seen Jon Stewart cry on the show were last night and the first show back after 9/11/01.  

Edited February 27 by Sarah 103

[possibilities]

That was a good show overall, and the dog part is the most humanizing thing I've ever seen from him. We get it, Buddy. I've lost animals like that, and I'll tell you-- it's possible to love again but that doesn't make the loss any less. 

I took a course on grief recently. One thing they talked about was how eventually the gratitude and the love become stronger than the pain of the grief, but it takes a while.

[iMonrey]

I haven't been crazy about Michael Costa as anchor. Maybe it's just that bringing back Jon Stewart makes everyone else pale in comparison but Costa's bits just haven't been very good. 

[possibilities]

I'm finding that I like all of the "correspondents" so far much better as hosts than when they do field pieces. There's more commentary and less schtick and shenanigans just for schtick and shenanigan's sake.

Also, they seem to be better interviewers at the desk, because they seem genuinely interested in the guest and not just trying to mock them.

[Sarah 103]

37 minutes ago, possibilities said:

I'm finding that I like all of the "correspondents" so far much better as hosts than when they do field pieces. There's more commentary and less schtick and shenanigans just for schtick and shenanigan's sake.

I think this is true for Lydic and Costa. Before I saw them host, I thought I didn't I liked Costas and Lydic. It turns out that I didn't like the "characters" they were forced to play when they were doing bits with the host or field pieces. When they get to be themselves and closer to who they are, I actually like their work. 

 

[DoctorAtomic]

Wow no one told me Chelsea and Ronnie were pals. I could listen to them shred each other all day. 

Righteously rage Ronnie is the best Ronnie. "You all complained about Trump and Biden running again and didn't do anything about it." There you go. 

[possibilities]

Crankiness ahead:

My theory, RONNY THE RAGEFUL, is that people aren't really that upset about Biden running, and that's why "they haven't done anything about it". I think the media (THAT'S YOU, RONNY!) has been looking for a way to drum up a close race for ratings, and they know that "if it bleeds it leads" so they've been asking leading questions and trying to plumb the electorate for malcontents (LIKE YOU, RONNY!), instead of reporting on or asking about issues that would turn up people who are happy with the situation and any popular policies or accomplishments he might have.

And that's why "we" haven't done much about it. Practical people understand that a serious primarying of the incumbent is a recipe for losing to the other party, so that's why there hasn't been a mass movement to do it. The Daily Show should know better and come up with some actually funny or informative jokes, rants, or reporting.

Of course when asked people will say he's old and of course people who like him OR don't like him will say that's a concern. And when asked if people are satisfied, or approving, of course nobody ever truly is. There's always something to complain about (RONNY OF ALL PEOPLE KNOWS THIS SINCE IT'S THE ONLY THING HE EVER DOES), even if people aren't actually thinking anybody else would be better, or they think the alternative would be worse or they figure he's not their ideal but he's good enough. But does the media ask anything else? (WHAT HAVE YOU DONE RONNY? OTHER THAN SAY WHAT EVERYONE ELSE IS SAYING, BUT IN A SHOUTY VOICE??)

Do they ask how people feel about any of the bills that he passed or programs he proposed? We never even hear much about what the other questions were, or if there were any. Sometimes you get a charismatic or cult-inspiring leader, but usually leading on the left is like herding cats. 

I just find Ronny a one note unfunny actor. He doesn't seem to actually care about anything, he just wants to vent his spleen without any other point of view than scorn, and he either doesn't understand or doesn't care about any issues as far as I can tell.

Also, I'm still pissed off that the show was making light of price gouging the other day. Maybe if you make TV money you don't care, but the average person notices when groceries are more expensive.  Maybe people who make TV money have slack in their budgets, but most people are in fact living very close to the edge. People who live on the margins know that celery is more expensive, too, not just chips. TDS used to give a shit about issues that affected other people, not just themselves.

The show has really gone downhill since Trevor left. 

Edited March 7 by possibilities

[DoctorAtomic]

I tend to think that there are more people who have jobs and things to do and don't really care about Biden's age than being reported. So you're not going to hear from them. I certainly don't care. There are people that do complain, so I think Ronnie's point was to them because people always complain about something, but don't act like you're super politically active like you're going to do anything. 

[possibilities]

I did think it was funny when he talked about "a super woke form of hate" because the guy used Yiddish words, and how it's racist to hate everybody except Asians. 

[Sarah 103]

I am not a fan of Ronnie Chang, so I will be glad when his week is over. He's okay in small doses, but I do not want him to be the next host, if they are going promote from within. 

[iMonrey]

14 hours ago, possibilities said:

The show has really gone downhill since Trevor left. 

I would argue the downward trend began with Stewart's departure, in terms of correspondents. When I think of the likes of John Oliver, Stephen Colbert, Sam Bee, Rob Riggle and Jason Jones compared the caliber of what they've got now, it's like wow, talk about your D-listers. 

[possibilities]

That interview wiuth the author iof the book about MLMs was good-- I thought they asked her real questions and seemed to really want to get the info out. I am not sure people watching don't already know, but maybe I'm wrong. Either way, I thought it was nice to see an interview that was designed to be conrete and informative and not just schtick and empty chitchat.

And that Moment of Zen? Whoa.

[Lantern7]

Sad moment: realizing we weren’t going to get a State of the Black Union address from Roy because he left the show. Also, no more “CP Time” segments. I liked that fake gray mustache.

I’m good with the series, though I believe it’s been a while since it last peaked. Also, Jon was on fire Monday night.

41 minutes ago, possibilities said:

And that Moment of Zen? Whoa.

I didn’t recognize the person with Tucker. Who was that?

[possibilities]

Tucker was interviewing Cuomo.

Edited March 14 by possibilities
clarification

[Sarah 103]

12 hours ago, possibilities said:

That interview wiuth the author iof the book about MLMs was good-- I thought they asked her real questions and seemed to really want to get the info out. I am not sure people watching don't already know, but maybe I'm wrong. Either way, I thought it was nice to see an interview that was designed to be conrete and informative and not just schtick and empty chitchat.

I agree. Lydic and Costas are so much better when they are allowed to be themselves and not do shtick or characters. I learned some new things about MLM during the interview. 

[baldryanr]

On 3/8/2024 at 2:35 AM, iMonrey said:

I would argue the downward trend began with Stewart's departure, in terms of correspondents. When I think of the likes of John Oliver, Stephen Colbert, Sam Bee, Rob Riggle and Jason Jones compared the caliber of what they've got now, it's like wow, talk about your D-listers. 

You know a show has been around for a while when people complain about the current crew being crap compared to the OGs (just look at the various SNL generations).  If TDS is still airing in 10 years then I'm sure those future correspondents will be considered crap compared to what we have now.  Oh, and of course the host will be a pale imitation of Trevor, who himself was half the host Jon was.

[DoctorAtomic]

What was that song? Wow. 

I've been enjoying Grace. She's been really funny. 'Why is she in front of the Twin Towers?' '9/11 didn't happen in England!'

Ugh. Tucker. Go away.

[meet trouble]

20 hours ago, possibilities said:

That interview wiuth the author iof the book about MLMs was good-- I thought they asked her real questions and seemed to really want to get the info out. I am not sure people watching don't already know, but maybe I'm wrong. Either way, I thought it was nice to see an interview that was designed to be conrete and informative and not just schtick and empty chitchat.

And that Moment of Zen? Whoa.

I enjoyed the interview until Costa repeated the question Desi just asked.

Getting that the correspondents are an act, and recognizing that I disliked Jordan's character on the show until he started doing field pieces (the 12yo in me giggles at "Fingers the Pulse"), putting Costa behind the desk for his turn has done nothing toward changing my mind about him.

If they're still looking for a permanent host, and they name Costa, I'll be resorting to watching bits on that site that I know best for music videos.

@Lantern7 I miss Roy, too.

[DoctorAtomic]

The headline segment had scorching zingers. Gen Z's first phone call; Matt Gaetz excited about teenagers blowing up his phone. Jets making the Superbowl!

They really underscored the mess around TikTok with the disparate groups on opposite sides and no one really knowing much about what's going on. 

I'm with Lewis Black on AI too. People aren't sufficiently unbiased or diverse in programming the algorithms. 

 

 

[baldryanr]

There has to be something else to the dentist story, right?  What person flies into Houston at 2am and schedules an appointment for the next week?  Is South Dakota truly a dental wasteland where they'll either yank your teeth out or dye them black?

[SeanBug]

I think if Jon isn't going to host full time  Costa with Desi is the best.   Ronnie is better doing field or stand up pieces, he sucks at hosting. 

Having Lewis back was great. 

I was never into women oriented pyramid schemes, but some of my coworkers got involved and I'd go out of guilt. (But never bought anything). 

It amazes me how gullible people are to fall for those things.

And sorry, those parties are  NOT fun.  Unless the author also likes root canals, which IMO is the same level of awful. 

[possibilities]

I got really frustrated and deleted the episode halfway through. I forgot Lewis Black was going to make an appearance. I will probably go looking for that.

The TikTok thing is confounding. Something is going on and nobody seems to want to try to understand it. They passed that thing overwhelmingly and on a bipartisan basis in a Congress that hasn't done anything overwhelmingly on a bipartisan basis in ages. It got support from the full spectrum of people from the far left to the far right. So... what the hell is going on? AOC supported it. Boebert supported it. I mean... when is the last time those two agreed on anything? 

So, rather than just doing the lazy thing of joking about how stupid it is, why not have a teeny tiny bit of curiosity about what the hell is going on that motivated them that much? 

I get that TDS isn't known for being real investigative journalism, but I don't think it should be too much to ask that they do more than the absolute laziest possible jokes that lack even a tiny bit of questioning or nuance.

[Superb Owl]

I'm not a big Dulce fan (I know I'm in the minority, but that's ok), but I'm wondering where she is these days. She still has only had 1 day hosting (last year) IIRC and she's not done any bits this week, but Grace has done a couple.  It seems odd. 

@Lantern7 I really miss Roy too. I think the correspondents have been doing a really good job for the most part, but I wish they'd find a way to bring Roy back. 

[Bastet]

2 hours ago, Superb Owl said:

I'm not a big Dulce fan (I know I'm in the minority, but that's ok), but I'm wondering where she is these days.

She move to L.A., released a memoir, and has several other projects in the works.  There's an interview with her about all that posted in the Correspondents thread. 

[iMonrey]

On 3/13/2024 at 12:46 PM, baldryanr said:

You know a show has been around for a while when people complain about the current crew being crap compared to the OGs (just look at the various SNL generations).  If TDS is still airing in 10 years then I'm sure those future correspondents will be considered crap compared to what we have now.  Oh, and of course the host will be a pale imitation of Trevor, who himself was half the host Jon was.

SNL has had its ups and downs, there was a very low point in the early 80s after the original cast departed but they worked their way back up to a new golden age in the 90s. It's possible The Daily Show could do that too.

And yes, there's something to be said about an aging show but the reality is that The Daily Show just isn't in the zeitgeist the way it was when Jon Stewart was the host. And I don't think it's ever going to be again, even with Stewart back as an occasional host. People took the show seriously back then. Important people. They stopped caring once he left and the show sort of fell off the radar.

[possibilities]

There are a lot of other shows now, doing "humorous news shows" in this model. People have choices now, and it's just not that special anymore, unless they actually do a great and not lazy show.

[DoctorAtomic]

The important aspect of throwing around pardons for people indicted or convinced of whatever actions related to January 6 is that acceptance of the pardon is an admission of guilt. A pardon isn't absolution.  

I liked the RFK rally just for the change of pace. Costa did ask a good question - what is a conspiracy (colloquially not legally). The guy only insulted him and didn't actually provide an answer. 

Cheryl Hines is RFK'S WIFE?!

 

Edited March 28 by DoctorAtomic